Welcoming year 5773: Jewish community celebrates Rosh Hashanah

HUB Staff Writer–

People embrace and wish each other “L’shanah Tovah!” They are saying “for a good year!” because Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish new year, began Sept. 16 at sundown.

Rosh Hashanah is “the first of 10 days of reflection, repentance, and atonement,” said Betsy Elzufon, president of the Board of Directors of Congregation Bet Haverim.

“The tradition is that 10 days from now, on Yom Kippur, God is going to seal our fate and hopefully put us in the Book of Life,” Elzufon said. While the Book of Life is a concept that has many interpretations, they all revolve around the idea that it determines what the new year will bring.

While many people believe that Chanukah is the most significant Jewish holiday, Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are considered the Jewish high holidays.

“Chanukah is about one little story whereas Rosh Hashanah is about more than that. It’s about finishing one year and welcoming the next,” said junior Daryn Kuhlman, secretary of the Davis Reform Temple Youth Board.

To celebrate the new year, Kuhlman attended temple services on the night Rosh Hashanah began.

Elzufon, on the other hand, had friends and family over for dinner. Two important items on the dinner table are the apples, which are dipped in honey in hopes of a sweet new year, and the challah, a traditional Jewish bread.

For most Jewish occasions a braided challah is used, but for both Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur a round challah is used. “It’s signifying the hopes for a round, whole new year,” Eluzufon said.

Although Elzufon did not go to services the night Rosh Hashanah began, she attended temple on Rosh Hashanah day and gave a speech to the congregation. “I want the congregation to think about how Bet Haverim fits into their lives […] and what they can do to support it or deepen their connection to it,” Elzufon said.

To Elzufon, a big part of being put into the Book of Life is helping others and being an active participant in the community.

“Every year I think about what I can do to be better and what I didn’t do this [past] year,” Elzufon said.